Quick One Layer Card

I made time to play with the 90 Minute Scramble with the Hero Arts Flickr group this morning. The challenge was to make a one layer card...oh, that is a challenge for me. I love having the flexibility of layering to cover up my many boo-boos. So keeping to my M.O. the first card found its way to the wastebasket, just too many smudges and a crooked sentiment. Here is card #2...I went a totally different direction than the first card.....

I did some acrylic block stamping for the background, added some snowflakes and then stamped the Decorated Tree and sentiment. The tree is colored with run of the mill Sharpie markers.
I'm off to find some inspiration...I'm fresh out at the moment!

 ~ Romans 15:13 ~

"I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. 

Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit."

blessings,

nancy

I was feeling Challenged today.....

I'm early for the Tag Tuesday Challenge (that's a new thing for me) and I'm squeaking in just in time for the Play Date Cafe Challenge. Both are color challenges, using 2 of the same colors so why not go for two.

Play Date Cafe enticed me with Olive, Red and Turquoise so I made a little winter scene with my favorite little "Winking Reindeer"......

I'm also entering this in the month-long challenge at Hero Arts as I used an the acrylic block stamping technique on the background.

Louise at Kard Krazy challenged us to make tags using Red, Turquoise and Navy. I actually started this tag yesterday..another mosaic background with the old HA shadow stamp.

 I set it aside because I wasn't sure how to finish it. Thank you, Louise! All it needed was some red! That spiffed it right up in a jiffy. I'm calling the gold embossing a holiday neutral so I hope this will fit the color constraints.

~ Psalms 95:1-2 ~

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;

let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before Him with Thanksgiving

and extol Him with music and song.

blessings,

nancy

Reindeer card~

Paper: Cosmo Cricket Mitten Weather Patterned Paper, White cardstock-Neenah Solar White

Stamps: Hero Arts- Winking Reindeer H5457, Season's Greetings CG223, Lace Background S5341, La Letter K5344, Holiday Sayings CL343.

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Tim Holtz Distress inks- Barn Door, Crushed Olive, Broken China, Forest Moss.

Gold gems-Michaels, Black gem- Hero Arts.

Jute twine.

Corner Chomper

Reindeer Tag~

White tag

Stamps: Hero Arts- Shadow Stamp 1 A1873, Three Holiday Messages LL956, Swirl Christmas CL469, Holiday Sayings CL343.  

Memory Box-Night Before Clear Set CL141

Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink- Stormy Sky, Chipped Sapphire, Aged Mahogany. Versamark Watermark ink.

Ranger Gold Embossing Powder, Xmas Red Stickles.

Gold and Jute twine.

A couple of gift tags...

 this is my second post for today....can you believe it? please scroll down for my November Card Chain Challenge post, thanks!


Had some fun with a really old (10 years) Hero Arts shadow stamp. I used it to stamp the background for some Christmas tags. No real technique involved here, just some over-stamping to get lots of layers of subtle images.

I used Distress inks in Antique Linen, Scattered Straw and Vintage Photo to stamp the tile-look background. I like how they have a soft look. I actually thought about adding bling or other embellies and decided I liked these tags on the rustic side.
I tried a fun new technique using Paint Dabbers on acetate....waiting to see if it works. I'll let you know!

~ 1 Thess. 5:18 ~

give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus

blessings,

nancy

Stamps: Hero Arts- Friend Definition CG125, Three Holiday Messages LL956, Holly Flourish S5067, Shadow Stamp 1 A1873, CG223 Season's Greetings.

Ink: Distress Inks- Antique Linen, Scattered Straw, Vintage Photo, Peeled Paint, Ages Mahogany.

Brown Sharpie Marker

Jute twine

Ribbon

White tags

November CCC

Just a quick post to share this month's exchange of postal finery. I was tapped to send my card to sweet wonderful Linda in Minnesota. One of the themes for the month was Kindness so I used a favorite sentiment stamp from the Hero Arts clear set Treasure the Moments CL156.

I had some fun with ink on the background for this month's challenge at Hero Arts blog.
In return I was the lucky recipient of this fabulous, sweetly vintage card from Joy (DustyPenny Designs).....

Joy used the sketch that Deborah provided for the November CCC.
Thanks for the visit....if you would like to participate in the next Card Chain Challenge, keep an eye on Deborah's blog, The Society of Stamp~ and Scrap~oholics !
 

~ Psalm 100 ~ 

"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. 

Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. 

Know that the Lord is God. 

It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. 

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; 

give thanks to Him and praise His name. 

For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; 

His faithfulness continues through all generations."

blessings,

nancy

Stamps~Hero Arts: Lace Background S5341, Treasure the Moments CL156, Friend Definition CG125, Dandelion Frame CG153

Kraft cardstock-PTI, white cs.

Ink~ Hero Hues Chalk ink-Snow; Distress Ink-Stormy Sky, Tumbled Glass

Ribbon, jute string, button.

Corner Chomper, Acrylic block (used to add ink to background)

Perfect Pearls

4 Cards from 1 Sketch

I'm hosting the 90 Minute Scramble at the Hero Arts Flickr Group this morning. I made up a sketch for a quick inchie card as the theme for the challenge.
Here's the sketch.....

And here are some ideas I came up with.....

Card Recipes:
Wishes: Kraft card base, Crate Paper Snow Day patterned paper, Hero Arts Clear set CL474 Special Wishes. Hero Hues Chalk ink-Latte, Copic markers. White gel pen. 1" square punch.
Bright: Neenah Solar white cs, glossy black cs, Hero Arts stamps- S5435 Graph Background, CL462 Magic of Christmas clear set, CL460 Joy to All. Copic markers, Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Gold glitter. 1" square punch, 7/8" square punch.
Peace: Kraft card base, Cosmo Cricket Mitten Weather patterned paper, Hero Arts snowflakes from various clear sets, CHF sentiment, Hero Arts snowflake embellies, Fiskars Lace Scallop border punch, Creative Memories circle punch, Hero Hues Chalk ink-Snow, Versamark ink, Stampendous silver and purple embossing powders. Corner Chomper.
Joy: Hero Hues Layering Paper-Cerulean, Graphic45 Christmas Past patterned paper. Memento Tuxedo black ink. Distress Ink Crushed Olive, Tumbled Glass, Broken China. Copic markers. Hero Arts stamps- S5433 Large Canvas Stripes, CL464 Sending Holiday Cheer, CL463 Get Merry, CG119 Flourish Background (on blue circle). Frosted Lace Stickles. White gel pen. Marvy 2.5" circle punch.

I was reminded yesterday why I started blogging a little over a year ago....I wanted to meet and be inspired by talented paper-crafters, have a place to share my work and get honest critiques but the most important reason was to share my faith in Jesus Christ. God has blessed me by blessing others through my Thought for the Day. I wanted to give thanks to God for the amazing people He has brought into my life through this online community. I got the sweetest email yesterday from a sister in Christ (she just happens to share my name) who found my blog because of the link on Jennifer McGuire's blog post. Her words were wonderful and touched my heart, I'm so glad she took the time to write. Call it coincidence or serendipity, I believe it's all by God's design because of His love for us.
Romans 8:28 ~ "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."
buckets of blessings,
nancy

Wee Memories has Blog Candy!

I'm spreading the word about Jenny's great giveaway over on Wee Memories. She's celebrating 700 followers with a fabulous gift for 2 winners....

Check out that loot! Make sure to check out THIS post to enter for your chance to win!

I'll be back later with some creativity to share. Big mega thanks to all of you who participated in my little guessing game. You are all the best. I just got the package in the mail to Sarah, I hope she has fun with the stamp and the extras I sent!
Psalm 107:1 ~ "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever!"
blessings,
nancy

Stamping Secret Revealed....

Blessings and big thanks to all of you for your wonderful response and excellent guesses. I had so much fun reading all of your responses....there were some very creative ideas, some came really close.  But the truth is that I'm really a lazy stamp crafter and I like to keep things simple with a minimum of tools and steps.

So without further time wasting the secret is.........white tissue paper! When you stamp it with black ink the image shows through on the reverse. You simply stamp the image on one side, then turn the paper over, and stamp it again. A couple of you guessed that I used thin paper but then you added tracing the image with a pen. With the tissue paper there is no need to trace, the image is perfect right through the paper. The white tissue paper becomes almost translucent when it is glued down. 

The closest guess came from Sarah in Belgium. She guessed that I used thin paper, but she added that the ink would bleed through and that is the secret. Congrats to Sarah, please send me a Flickrmail with your address so I can get your prize sent out right away.

Here's a short tutorial with some handy tips for making a mirror image with tissue paper.
Supplies you will need:

Uncoated white tissue paper (the cheap stuff)
Black Dye Ink (I used Memento)
PVA glue- watered down a bit
Large, soft bristled paintbrush
Stamp positioner
Patterned Paper

Here's the card I made for the tutorial.....

Here we go.....Position and stamp the first image. Use light pressure when stamping. Carefully lift stamp without moving the tissue paper.

Move the tissue paper and clean the work surface of the ink that bled through, or.....

...use copy paper to soak up the excess ink.

Flip the tissue, reposition and stamp the second image. You can see how clearly the first image shows on the reverse.

A couple of handy tips: This is a rejected image. I used too much pressure when stamping and got a really heavy line. This one is also messy from stray ink.  Be careful moving the stamped tissue paper as it doesn't take much for any leftover ink to show on the tissue. It's best to let the ink dry before handling the paper and make sure there is no ink left on the surface.

Stamp the reindeer body on patterned paper (I used Snow Day from Crate Paper) and cut out.

 

Stamp the reindeer body a second time on a scrap of tissue paper. Trim close.

 Using light strokes and a brush saturated with the watered down glue, glue the reverse reindeer tissue to the pp scrap. Once down lightly brush any areas that pop up....then let it dry. If you work it too much it may tear.

Set aside to dry.

For the larger image it's easier to add the glue to the background paper then apply the tissue to it. Make sure to get the paper good and wet with the glue.

Add the stamped tissue to the prepared background (you only get one shot at this so line it up before you set it down). Gently smooth the tissue, there will be some wrinkling that adds to the texture and character, so try not to overwork the tissue. Just make sure that all the tissue is glued down. Set aside to dry.

Cut out the reindeer on the patterned paper, I added a spritz of Perfect Pearls to add some sparkle.

Trim the background once it dries.....then you can paper piece your reindeer and design your fabulous card!

Here's my messy work area as I work to assemble my card and get the accessories and embellishes just right.

And here's another look at the final result....

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and that you will try this technique. Be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you think. Please include a link to your Mirror Image Stamped creations. Thanks!

Colossians 3:16-17 ~ "Let the message about Christ, in all it's richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom He gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. "

blessings,

nancy

More inking, a little stamping magic, and a contest.....

So I wanted to make a friend for my little Winking Reindeer. I used a some stamping sleight of hand...it's my little secret. I may be persuaded to share my secret though. Leave a comment and tell me how you think I made a mirror image of my sweet reindeer.....

Just a little hint....I didn't use a mirror image stamp or any other special tool (other than a stamp  positioner) for this. Let's hear what you think! I have a cling Hanging Christmas Ornament Stamp for whoever guesses correctly first!
I am entering this in Lucy's Challenge to make a card with something old and something new. My new is the Cosmo Cricket Mitten Weather paper that is pieced for the reindeer. My old, and it's really old, it's the Glamour Dust Glitter that I used on the antlers and the snow drift. It's more than 10 years old. Special thanks to my sweet friend Barb for sending me the Basic Grey stitched brad. It's from the Kioshi collection but I thought the flower looked like a poinsettia and the color went so well with this card.

John 8:31-32 ~ "Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, 'you are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.' "
blessings,
nancy

Inky Techniques

I had some fun this morning using a new technique from Jennifer McGuire's new Holiday Thinking Inking video.

For the red panel I trimmed a white piece of cs to size and using Jennifer's example covered it with Fired Brick Distress ink. Then I spritzed some Perfect Pearls water on the Holly Flourish stamp and stamped it on the red piece. It was fun to watch the stamped pattern emerge as it dried. For the background I tapped some Antique Linen Distress ink on my craft sheet and spritzed on some PP water. I used this to ink the Holly Flourish and stamped it on the white panel. The tree was stamped with Artprint Brown Memories ink, some Crushed Olive Distress ink was blended on, then Vintage Photo around the edges. I stamped the Holly Flourish one last time with Galaxy Gold Brilliance ink on the card base. I love it when I can make a card with this much color that uses only white card stock.

Ephesians 3:17 ~ "Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong!"

blessings,
nancy

It's All Fun and Games!

I'm playing with Tag Tuesday again this week. The challenge is to use a bingo card in the tag. I was inspired by the Tim Holtz Lost and Found Paper Stash paper pad, and I incorporated a Bingo card into a Game themed tag.

Here's a close up of the detail....

Even though it's hard to see I used 2 Hero Arts stamps on this tag: Friend Definition and Crossword Background.  Most of the images are clipart pics of games and game pieces. I used a bit of digi-magic to make the title square.The flowers are from my friend Dawn in New Zealand. Thanks Dawn! I was waiting for the perfect project to use them.

2 John 3 ~ "Grace, mercy and peace, which come from God the Father and from Jesus Christ- the Son of the Father- will continue to be with us who live in truth and love."

blessings,
nancy

Quick Card for Hero Arts November Challenge

I did lots of inking on this card....

I started with the acrylic block stamping for the background with Pumice Stone Distress ink. Then I stamped Old Letter (CG197) with Pumice Stone ink. I clear embossed the Floral Brocade (CG187) and then added color with a blending tool and Vintage Photo and Aged Mahogany Distress ink. The card base was stamped with Friend Definition (CG125), it's really hard to see in the photo, with Pumice Stone on kraft cs and then misted pretty heavily with Perfect Pearls water mixture.
Here's a close up look...

Psalm 25: 4-5 ~ Show me the right path, O Lord: point out the road for me to follow.
Lead me by Your truth and teach me, for You are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in You.

blessings,
nancy

Letters From Home

Hi All! I want to share with you a wonderful organization that is dedicated to sharing love and brightening the days of lonely senior citizens. Letters From Home was started in 2001 by my Aunt Kay during the time that my grandmother (her mother) was in assisted living. Aunt Kay noticed that there were so many residents who were not getting frequent or even any visits from loved ones and her heart went out to them. Letters From Home grew out of  her desire to share her love. LFH is a way of including all of these lonely seniors in a big loving family circle.

 I would love it if you would take the time to read about Letters From Home, Inc HERE. As a non-profit corporation LFH operates on tax-deductible donations to cover printing costs and postage. They are always looking for more seniors who would benefit from receiving these news filled letters from their "adopted" family.

I know most of you like to send homemade cards and Vera at Ling's Design Studio has started a wonderful Caring Hearts Card Drive for that purpose. Letters From Home is unique in that it is only letters that are sent every week to 10 days. My aunt writes these letters herself and fills them with all the newsy family happenings in her own family allowing the recipients to become part of that family circle.

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about Letters From Home, Inc. I hope you will share this with your friends and family and maybe "adopt" Letters From Home as a charity to support this holiday season.

Love and Blessings,
nancy